1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-track magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus which uses a magnetic tape having a reduced width as a recording medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus capable of precisely recording/reproducing a large amount of data at high speed and the precise recording/reproducing being performed with a precise tracking control maintained.
2. Description of the Related Art
The inventors know that a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, except the one having a rotary head, used for an audio device has the same numbers of the tracks and the recording heads or the same numbers of the reproducing heads and the recording heads in pairs. The above-described term "the number of the tracks" means the total number of data tracks formed in parallel to the direction in which the tape runs. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus of the above described type includes a device for restricting the relative positions between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head. The restricting device has generally a guide post or the like, having a pair of flanges for guiding the two vertical ends of the magnetic tape so as to make it run toward the fixed magnetic head, is formed in a passage through which the magnetic tape runs. Thus, the vertical movement of the magnetic tape is restricted.
On the other hand, a multi-track magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus used for a backup storage of an information processing system, so-called "a cassette streamer", employs a recording/reproducing system known as "a serpentine system". A conventional serpentine system has a pair of a recording head for recording and a reproducing head for reproducing the contents when a magnetic tape is run in one direction and another pair of a recording head for recording and a reproducing head for reproducing the contents when the magnetic tape is run in the other direction so that it is capable of corresponding to a plurality of tracks. In this system, information is successively recorded or reproduced from tracks during the running of the magnetic tape in one direction or in the other direction instead of recording information on a plurality of tracks of the magnetic tape simultaneously. At the time of the above-described operation, the tracks are switched by moving the above-described two pairs of the recording heads and the reproducing heads, and the positioning of the magnetic tape to the position of a desired track is simultaneously performed. There is a known device for restricting the relative positions between the head and the magnetic tape as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-183019 in which the positioning of the head is achieved in accordance with an open loop control method with a stepping motor provided in which the restricting flanges are used in addition to the above described structure.
Recently, a combination head having a multi-heads has been developed in accordance with an advancement of a thin film magnetic head. Therefore, multi-track magnetic recording/reproducing apparatuses with further high density has been developed. The apparatus of the type described above is capable of recording information in a narrow track width, causing an allowable offtrack to be reduced. Therefore, in order to operate a precise tracking control, the device for restricting the relative positions between the tape and the head has an additional structure which followup-controls the magnetic head with respect to the waving movement of the magnetic head. The added structure is a head moving device for moving the magnetic head in the widthwise direction of a tape in addition to the above-described mechanism in which the flanges are provided for the purpose of restricting the vertical movement of the magnetic tape.
The apparatus of the type described above is exemplified by a fixed-head digital audio tape recorder which has the same numbers of the recording heads and the tracks or the same numbers of the reproducing heads each of which forms a pair with the above-described recording heads and the tracks. The apparatus of the type described above is arranged, as disclosed in the Trans. IECE Japan EA83-56, Trans. IECE Japan EA81-64 and the Sharp Engineering Report 1984-28, a servo-only track formed on the magnetic tape is traced by two parallel reproducing heads disposed in the widthwise direction of the tape so as to compare and followup-control the reproduction output therefrom for restricting the relative positions between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape.
Another device for restricting the relative positions between the tape and the head has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-64811 in which a structure for magnetically detecting the relative positions between an end portion of the magnetic tape and the magnetic head is provided for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus arranged to have the same number of the heads and the tracks.
However, the device for restricting the relative positions between the tape and the head has a guide post having flanges which restrict the vertical movement of the magnetic tape by contacting the vertical ends of the magnetic tape with the flanges of the guide post. Therefore, if a magnetic tape having a width which is larger than the distance between the upper flange and the lower flange is driven, the mechanical stresses act upon the two vertical ends of the magnetic tape and cause the two vertical ends of the magnetic tape to be damaged. Therefore, the restriction width in the above-described restricting device is limited to several tens of .mu.m, because the end portions of the magnetic tape must be protected from the damage. Consequently, in a high density magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus in which the allowable offtrack is arranged in the range from ten and several .mu.m to several tens of .mu.m, the above-described structure in which the movement of the magnetic tape is restricted by the flanges or the like cannot correspond to the above-described allowable offtrack.
When a higher recording density is desired, the width of the track of the magnetic tape can be reduced by reducing the width of the track of the magnetic head. However, the reduction in the track pitch involves a certain limit since the integration of the thin film head is limited to a certain degree. Furthermore, an increase in the number of the heads causes the size of the circuit to be enlarged and the overall cost is thereby risen. Therefore, a high density magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus which is provided with the pitch of the tracks is several tens of .mu.m and the several tens to hundreds of tracks cannot employ the same number of the heads and the tracks.
On the other hand, the multi-track magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus so-called a cassette streamer and employing the conventional serpentine system is arranged to record/reproduce information on the multiplicity of the tracks by moving the magnetic head in the widthwise direction of the magnetic tape. Therefore, the recording/reproducing can be operated by moving the magnetic head in several times even if the track pitch is reduced and the number of the tracks is increased. Therefore, the integration of the thin film head does not encounter a problem.
However, the track width necessarily becomes several tens of .mu.m when the track pitch is made several tens of .mu.m. Therefore, the allowable offtrack also becomes ten and several .mu.m to several tens of .mu.m. It leads a fact that the device for restricting the relative positions between the tape and the head, in which the restriction by means of the flanges or the like and the open loop control by using the stepping motor are performed, does not correspond to the above-described allowable offtrack.
It might therefore be considered feasible to employ a structure for overcoming the above-described problem in terms of the allowable offtrack, the structure being arranged such that the relative positions between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape is detected by a sensor and the head operating device is feed-back controlled by a detection signal so that the magnetic head is tracking-controlled.
However, if the above-described tracking control of several .mu.m is desired to be achieved, a mechanism for supporting the magnetic head, a power source for the magnetic head, a mechanism for transmitting power to the magnetic head, and a sensor for detecting the relative positions between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head must be constituted precisely. However, the conventional head operating device has a complicated structure and a large dead zone since it includes the power source utilizing a rotary motor such as the stepping motor, a mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the rotary motor into a linear motion, a bearing supporting mechanism and the like. Therefore, a desired control accuracy cannot be obtained. Furthermore, since a mechanism for supporting the magnetic head by means of parallel leaf springs is employed in the conventional structure, a feedback control with an excellent gain cannot be obtained easily due to an influence of the secondary resonance. The secondary resonance takes place because the magnetic head is secured to either of the leaf springs or because the mechanism for supporting the magnetic head is connected to the above-described mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the power source for the magnetic head into the linear motion.
Furthermore, if the tracking control by means of the servo track of the type employed in the above-described fixed-head digital audio tape recorder is operated in accordance with the serpentine method, a multi-servo tracks must be provided and problems in terms of a recording density on the servo track arise. Therefore, even if the method of this type is employed, the high density recording cannot be obtained satisfactorily.